We know more about Android 13. At its I/O conference, Google presented a new beta of the next version of the most used OS in the world. Don’t expect an ergonomic or interface revolution: Android has already changed with version 12 and the arrival of Material You.
Android 13, however, takes customization a step further, with the arrival of color variants, always adapted to the wallpaper you have chosen. Android 13 will also make it possible to adapt more app icons to the theme you have selected, since Material You opens up to third-party apps.
Also practical for polyglots, Android 13 will allow you to choose the language displayed application by application.
Finally, Android 13 will introduce a new media playback control widget, which will notably display the cover of the album you are listening to.
Progress in privacy
Android 13 also brings some new functions aimed at guaranteeing the confidentiality of the data you store on your mobile. First, inspired by Apple, Google will force app developers to collect your consent before they can send you notifications. At last !
A new security and privacy management settings page will also appear, which will show you your current “security level” and guide you to improve it.
Google is also tightening the screw in terms of application permissions. Rather than allowing access to all the media files stored on your phone, there will now be two categories: “photos and videos” and “music and audio”.
A new photo picker will also allow access only to the files you select, not to your entire library.
Google Wallet is making a comeback
It had disappeared in favor of Google Pay. It is making a comeback with Android 13 and will replace… Google Pay. Largely inspired by the Apple application of the same name, Google Wallet will obviously store bank cards and loyalty cards, like the current version. But it will also allow you to host other valuable documents: electronic key for your car, vaccination certificate, boarding passes, and even in some regions driving license or identity card. Like Maps does in iOS, sort of.
This new Wallet will be closely linked to other Google apps. For example, you can access your public transport card, and why not recharge it, with a simple tap in Google Maps after having defined a route.
Better multitasking for big screens
Android 12L had already shown that Google wanted to return to the front in the tablet market, which is ultra-dominated by Apple. Android 13 goes a step further, fine-tuning multitasking on large-screen devices. It will be easier, for example, to use two apps side by side, and to drag and drop content from one program to another.
Google also hopes that developers will finally adapt the interface of their applications to folding tablets and smartphones. And to set a good example, the Mountain View giant announces that around twenty of its applications (YouTube, Maps, Messages, etc.) will in the coming weeks adopt a brand new interface that is much more practical on large screens. Major app developers, like TikTok, Zoom or Facebook, will do the same soon. It was time.